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Cold War Soldier: Terry Burke

01.01.70

Terry Burke served in a war without a battle.

As the world's future teetered precipitously on nuclear destruction thousands of Canadian soldiers manned the West German border as part of a NATO contingent.

That contingent was integral in NATO's plan to stop any Warsaw Pact attack dead in its tracks. Such was life during the Cold War.

Burke, a London resident, retired from the military after a 43-year career and has just published a book called Cold War Soldier: Life on the Front Lines of the Cold War.

Burke gives readers a poignant glimpse of what it was like to be a military man just 50 kilometres from one of mankind's tensest games of brinkmanship. With an entire Soviet army backed by tactical nuclear weapons on the other side of the Berlin Wall, Burke describes what it was like wearing the Maple Leaf on his uniform during his time in Germany from 1965-1970 as part of the NATO Alliance.

Burke was born in Ireland in 1947 and moved to Canada with his family. After a falling out with his father, Burke was homeless at the age of 15. One of the options facing the teenager was the possibility of enlisting in the military, which provided a steady income, food and lodging.

Source: Londoner